Analysis of War on Terrorism[edit]

Aslan refers to Al Qaeda's jihad against the west as "a cosmic war", distinct from holy war, in which rival religious groups are engaged in an earthly battle for material goals. "A cosmic war is like a ritual drama in which participants act out on earth a battle they believe is actually taking place in the heavens." American rhetoric of "war on terrorism", Aslan says, is in precise "cosmic dualism" to Al Qaeda's jihad. Aslan draws a distinction between Islamism and Jihadism. Islamists have legitimate goals and can be negotiated with, unlike Jihadists, who dream of an idealized past of a pan-Islamic, borderless "religious communalism". Aslan's prescription for winning the cosmic war is not to fight, but rather to engage moderate Islamic political forces in the democratic process. "Throughout the Middle East, whenever moderate Islamist parties have been allowed to participate in the political process, popular support for more extremist groups has diminished."[16]

Protection of religious freedom[edit]

Aslan has argued for religious freedom and protection for religious minorities throughout the Middle East.[17][18] He has called for Iran to protect and stop the "horrific human rights abuses" against its Baha'i community.[17] Aslan has also said that the persecution and displacement of Middle Eastern Christian communities "is nothing less than a regional religious cleansing that will soon prove to be a historic disaster for Christians and Muslims alike."[18]

Fox News interview controversy[edit]

On 26 July 2013, Aslan was interviewed on Spirited Debate, a Fox Newswebcast by anchorLauren Green about his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.[19] Green was "unsatisfied with Aslan's credentials," and she pressed Aslan, questioning why a Muslim would write about Jesus.[20] Aslan answered, “Because it’s my job as an academic. I am a professor of religion, including the New Testament. That’s what I do for a living, actually.” The interview lasted about ten minutes and focused "on Aslan's background more than the actual contents of the book."[20] The video clip of the interview went viral within days[19] and the book, which was up to that point selling "steadily",[19] appeared at the 4th place on the New York Times print hardcover best-seller list.[19] By late July 2013, it was topping the U.S. best-seller list on Amazon.[21]

Academic credentials[edit]

Following Aslan's interview with Fox News, some questioned Aslan's academic claims. An article written by Manuel Roig-Franzia in The Washington Post entitled "Reza Aslan: A Jesus scholar who's often a moving target" observed that Green had asked "astonishingly absurd questions," but that Aslan was a "moving target" and described him as being "eager—perhaps overeager—to present himself as a formidable academic with special bona fides in religion and history" and "boast[ing] of academic laurels he does not have."[22] The article quoted Aslan's dissertation adviser, Mark Juergensmeyer, as saying that he did not have a problem with Aslan's characterization of his credentials.

A day later, The New Republic printed an article critical of the Washington Post piece entitled "Now The Washington Post Owes Reza Aslan An Apology, Too."[23] The Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled "Reza Aslan's 'Zealot': Muslim's book about Jesus stirs things up" also defended Aslan's characterization of his academic credentials, noting that UC Santa Barbara "is famous for its interdisciplinary program—students tailor their studies around a topic, not a department. They choose a department only for the diploma."[24]The Nation's Elizabeth Castelli wrote that Aslan "reasonably opened himself to criticism" on the basis of his claim to speak "with authority as a historian".[25]

Criticism of New Atheists[edit]

In 2014, Aslan was interviewed by New York Magazine's Jesse Singal on his response to the recent intense criticism of Islam by the so-called 'New Atheists'. In the interview Aslan criticizes the "armchair atheism" of New Atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, who have no background in the study of religion and are therefore unable to effectively comment on how it shapes human behavior. He contrasted them to the "philosophical atheism" of earlier thinkers who "were experts in religion, and so they were able to offer critiques of it that came from a place of knowledge, from a sophistication of education, of research."[26]

Criticism of media coverage of Islam[edit]

On 29 September 2014, Antonia Blumberg in The Huffington Post stated that Reza Aslan, on CNN, "criticized comedian Bill Maher for characterizing female genital mutilation as an 'Islamic problem,' in addition to making several other sweeping generalizations about the faith."[27] Prachi Gupta, in Salon, wrote that Reza Aslan believed that the United States was partnering with Saudi Arabia while simultaneously condemning ISIS.[28] Aslan was reported as saying that "To say "Muslim countries", as though Pakistan and Turkey are the same… it’s frankly, and I use this word seriously, stupid!"[29]

On 8 October 2014, Reza published a New York Times article titled, "Bill Maher Isn’t the Only One Who Misunderstands Religion" writing that, "Bill Maher is right to condemn religious practices that violate fundamental human rights. Religious communities must do more to counter extremist interpretations of their faith. But failing to recognize that religion is embedded in culture — and making a blanket judgment about the world’s second largest religion — is simply bigotry."

Religious views[edit]

Aslan converted to evangelical Christianity at the age of 15,[6] and converted back to Islam the summer before attending Harvard.[7] In 2014, Aslan described Islam as: "a man-made institution. It’s a set of symbols and metaphors that provides a language for which to express what is inexpressible, and that is faith. It’s symbols and metaphors that I prefer, but it’s not more right or more wrong than any other symbols and metaphors. It’s a language, that’s all it is."[30]

^Blumberg, Antonia (30 September 2014). "Reza Aslan Blasts Bill Maher, Media For 'Unsophisticated' Reporting On Islam" (in English). The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2014. "Reza Aslan has a thing or two to say about media coverage of Islam. Speaking with CNN on Monday Aslan criticized comedian Bill Maher for characterizing female genital mutilation as an "Islamic problem," in addition to making several other sweeping generalizations about the faith. "When it comes to the topic of religion he's not very sophisticated in the way that he thinks," Aslan said."

^Gupta, Prachi (30 September 2014). "Reza Aslan takes down Bill Maher’s “facile arguments” on Islam in just 5 minutes" (in English). Salon. Retrieved 4 October 2014. "He also pointed out the U.S.’s own hypocrisy in calling out ISIS for its brutality while partnering with Saudi Arabia: “Look, Saudi Arabia is one of the most, if not the most, extremist countries in the world. In the month that we’ve been talking about ISIS and their terrible actions in Iraq and Syria, Saudi Arabia, our closest ally, has beheaded 19 people.”"